we had our daughter tested by a child psychologist last week and today we got her results. the psychologist doesn't believe that she has adhd, instead she believes that we are just *quickly* discovering a learning disability of some sort. a mild one...but my dd does not appear anxious or unhappy,etc. she scored high in the areas where adhd kids typically score low. ie.working memory and processing speed. she score lower in verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning. her IQ for 9 was in the average area:) the pyschologist said that she was surprised that my dd didn't score higher...and she seemed a bit baffled with the results. however, in the end...she did not see adhd...she said my daughter seemed uncomfortable and figeted, etc only when the work/testing got hard for her. she was administered the wechsler intelligence scale for children and the wide range achievement test. the psychologist wants us to have her take a woodcock johnson test and to let her know the results.
anyways... i haven't ruled out adhd fully yet. this was just one test by one person over a matter of a couple of hours. we will probably pursue a tutor and see how that goes. they psychologist said that we wouldn't qualify for any school help from her scores, they were not low enough. she just truly believes that we are catching a learning disability/problem early...which is a good thing.
any advice from any of you? i guess the plan is to get a woodcock johnson scheduled...and hire a tutor and see if that helps. maybe school is just too overwhelming for her because it's not coming easy anymore...and she feels it. nonverbal learning disability fits to some extent to what i see going on...but i also see adhd fitting as well.
shelley
The results for the individual parts of the test are supposed to group in the same numeric area. When there is a spread between the lowest and highest (average in one area and gifted in another) it is thought that the number that is lower is an indication of a problem with the test or the presence of a learning disorder.
My daughter qualified for an IEP based on scoring high in the IQ tests (WISC IV) yet failing in school (language), and having a 30 point spread between the language and preformance sections. The high IQ and poor school performance indicated a difference in ability and achievement. They also noted the difficulty with her staying on task during the testing (needed to be reminded to keep going) which was consistant with the classroom and homework difficulties. The school determined that she had a learning disorder affecting writing and reading/spelling. After all of that, we started the evaluation for ADHD because of the extreme difficulty staying on task and the developing depression, anxiety and defiance (all of which started and peaked in the 4th grade).
vickie39036.7684143518It is great that you may be finding the learning disabiity early rather than late like my ds. He has accommodations for extra time and a word processor which are a tremendous help. As a high schooler he needs to request accommodations prior to each test or in class write. So the times he did not request them and writing was involved his scores are low 70s instead of the 90s. altho the psych said that she will not qualify for school help, you still can discuss her difficulties with the teacher and possibly arrange "informal accommodations." I did this for many years prior to a formal plan. While she may not qualify for an IEP and get special instruction, a 504 may be a possiblity.shelley why did they not give a woodcock when they did the psych? In my experience a pysch is typically give with an achievement...this is how the LD spread is sometimes determined...Anyways here is a link for an ADHD/LD message board and these folks that know SPED testing inside and out
http://schwablearning.org/message_boards/index.asp
I would also suggest having the psychologist do the test. This way, she can write a report for you suggesting diagnosis and accomodations. If the school feel accomodations are not needed, the independent oppinion will come in handy.
For my daughter, the school did the woodcock johnson achievement test. The educational psychologist that did the IQ testing was changing his practice from evaluation of learning issues to pushing a learning program. The school psychologist and special ed teacher wanted to observe my daughter through the testing as well. She scored normal in the testing (the range is huge and it is hard to fall into the risk group) but they still provided accomodations based on school failure. This school is really good with these kids, so we are lucky.
? for the experts here. i just spoke with the school psychologist and she said that the special ed team will review the psychologist's test on the 29th when they meet next. she said that the school can run the woodcock johnson for us. now...is it best to have the school run this? or do you advise that we do this elsewhere? i don't want to be shuffled under the rug at school or anything...i just want to do what's best:)
shelley